The Engaging Brand

Why your profit and loss is a key employee engagement tool

Employee engagement is something that I feel passionate about, without it you will struggle to build a successful company, without it the fun goes from the company.

I remember being a small child and me having a little moan about doing an errand for a family friend.

Dad said "It is not like you to moan and you did it yesterday for John, so what's the problem?"

"I don't mind doing it for John as he thanks me, he makes me laugh,he doesn't treat me like a kid - he makes it good fun so I look forward to doing it"

Dad laughed and said "When you are in business, Anna, think whether you are having the John effect. Remember people work harder for a friend, people work together with friends, people want to succeed with friends. When you treat people well, any role can be exciting...when you treat people badly even the most exciting role can be depressing."

.....the hardest thing as you go up the career ladder is to keep that John effect at the forefront of your mind...but the profit and loss won't lie, it is the ultimate employee engagement barometer.

What do you do for a living? Spielberg had it right....

Spielberg who was rejected 3 times by the UCLA School of Theater, didn't have a bad career - I think you would agree??

So when asked what he did for a living, what did he say?

"I dream for a living"

Now could you imagine the power of that sentence if more leaders saw dreaming as a profession!

...So the definition of a leader could be a dreamer who creates the reality?

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Brands Need to Strip Bare

Brands are strange items. Somehow a brand manages to create a premium by delivering an emotional value to the consumer.

I cannot help thinking that there is an irony for businesses at the moment....

Over the last couple of decades brands added to our 'simple lives' by giving us more and more.....in a sense consumers paid a premium for complexity and choice.

Now if you think about it...brands create a premium by simplifying, or stripping away the complexity we used to pay for!

So the brand premium at the moment is often created by going back to basics...basics of service, values and simplicity.

The problem is as humans we created the complexity and therefore struggle to see, never mind get rid of, the complexity.
 

Good news for me then as it is a great time to be simple!

Social Media Questions for Small Businesses

I do a lot of strategy work with small businesses who are passionate about using social media. The coaching normally starts not with the tools but asking questions about the business.

What I find is that you have a business dream, you start a small business, you then get bogged down in the day to day activities and forget why you were passionate  enough to start the small business?

Social media needs you to understand your passion, understand why you started this business, why this business is different to all your competitors? When you understand this, you can use social media to

Express that passion
Show why you are different
Connect with other like minded people
Provide real value to other people's lives

If you don't understand your true point of difference then you will find it hard to engage the consumers....it is not social media that engages, it is your passion!

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Show #239 - Growing Business Dominance of India

Show 239 of The Engaging Brand leadership and marketing podcast is ready just for you. To subscribe or listen on your PC now - both for free, you don't need to download anything - all explained at the end of the post and don't forget to try GoToMeeting for your 30 day free trial!

Today I with Nirmalya Kumar who is Professor of Marketing, Director of Centre for Marketing, and Co-Director for Aditya V. Birla India Centre at  London Business School. Nirmalya has just written a business book on India as a global powerhouse and talks us through his perspectives on how India is growing. We talk about

• Why India is well placed to be the next global powerhouse.
• How India is preparing their talent
• A discussion on the talent within India
• How India will evolve from an imitator to innovative
• How is India coping much better with the global recession

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter.

How you can listen to the Engaging Brand

1) You can listen on your PC now without downloading any software just click here to hear the latest marketing podcast and it will take you to the latest podcast. Then press the play button!

2) You can subscribe to the show via iTunes or

3) If you use a different podcatcher then you can subscribe using the following  http://www.podcasternews.com/feeds/enbr.xml

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An Engaging, Savage!

At Christmas I interviewed Roz Savage who is rowing the pacific ocean - yes, the pacific ocean! - on how to Face the Fear and Do it Anyway ( and Roz Savage Part 2).

Roz has now set off and I wish her every luck  - Roz is making a world beating attempt and if you want to follow her progress check out the Roz Savage blog, website or twitter

The thing that struck me was that with social media you can be part of an historic event, you can be part of the story as it unfolds. We can so easily take it for granted...

Good luck Roz!

Show 238 - Making Money on a Global Scale

Show 238 of The Engaging Brand leadership and marketing podcast is ready just for you. To subscribe or listen on your PC now - both for free, you don't need to download anything - all explained at the end of the post and don't forget to try GoToMeeting for your 30 day free trial!

Today I talk Omar Khan of Sensei International, a global leadership development and consulting firm that operates all over the world. Omar has just co-written a book called The Global Consultant - How to make seven figures across borders. You can also read Omar's blog called The Global Consultant. I ask Omar

• You can intellectually learn about the world but you must emotionally experience the world as well.
• What is the difference between emotional connection and research?
• How your aim must be to have a virtual presence and as Peter Drucker said "Presence does not rely on physical proximity"
• How problems are global when human dynamics are involved.
• Should you message transcend borders or be tailored - and tips on how to create the right message.
• How you uild momentum after an event?
• What is the diffference between energised confidence and arrogance?

You can listen to my previous discussions with Omar on Global Leadership or Liberating Passion within Business.

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter  or check out my new site Buzz Networker which looks at how social networking can help your brand.

How you can listen to the Engaging Brand

1) You can listen on your PC now without downloading any software just click here to hear the latest marketing podcast and it will take you to the latest podcast. Then press the play button!

2) You can subscribe to the show via iTunes or

3) If you use a different podcatcher then you can subscribe using the following  http://www.podcasternews.com/feeds/enbr.xml

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Just a thought ...

"Are you thinking or rearranging your own prejudices"

William James

Just a thought....how often do we really allow ourselves to think?

Just a thought....how often do we really listen to every syllable?

Just a thought....how often do we really live each moment?

Just a thought...how often do we expect brilliance compared to accepting mediocrity?

Just a thought....thinking is one of our most undervalued skills

What do we mean by fair?

Fairness seems to be the sore under most citizen's skin at the moment. Whether it be fairness in relation to the banking bonus culture, MP's expenses or the way they are dealt with at work.

In my last role I had an interesting view on fairness. In a training session on disaster recovery following 9/11 the trainer asked "What would you do if you saw a BMW parked on the double yellow lines outside the main reception?"

Now clearly the trainer was thinking of a potential bomb....so what was the answer??

"I would think...typical Mr X (Director of the company who shall remain nameless!) was late as usual and there were no car spaces in the car park and they didn't want to walk from the other car park!"

Now we all laughed because we knew that was so true! But as a Director I was sad, sad that a company based historically on ethical values had slipped to this level.

Fairness is subjective but I believe for internal engagement and therefore external engagement, there are some key principles

F = Forget the job title....expect the same standards from all.
A = Assess future and present leaders of people not just by their knowledge and people skills but also by whether they live the brand values.
I = Investigate whether the values are lived by or paid lip service to? Survey, ask, listen....internally and externally.
R = Respect diversity. Diversity of opinion, of ideas, of approach. Standard values does not mean 'standard' people. As long as the approach or views are to the values...then embrace the diversity.

Show 237 - Marketing Online Tips and Trends

Show 237 of The Engaging Brand leadership and marketing podcast is ready just for you. To subscribe or listen on your PC now - both for free, you don't need to download anything - all explained at the end of the post and don't forget to try GoToMeeting for your 30 day free trial!

Today I talk with Sabrina Parsons, CEO of Palo Alto Software and blogger at Mummy CEO. Sabrina has a wealth of knowledge on advertising, marketing, and business development and if you have any questions for her then you can email her directly at sabrina@paloalto.com. I talk to her about

• Is there such a thing as marketing online?
• Have the marketing principles changed over time?
• What are the trends with online advertising?
• Why is the level of consumer analytics so important?
• Why small companies are challenging larger companies?
• Is there a difference between marketing and advertising?
• Is marketing owned by the brand or the consumer?
• How to stay focused when so many new marketing tools are appearing?
• Which trend do you see in advertising that companies need to address?
• The link between customer service and social media.

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter  or check out my new site Buzz Networker which looks at how social networking can help your brand.

How you can listen to the Engaging Brand

1) You can listen on your PC now without downloading any software just click here to hear the latest marketing podcast and it will take you to the latest podcast. Then press the play button!

2) You can subscribe to the show via iTunes or

3) If you use a different podcatcher then you can subscribe using the following  http://www.podcasternews.com/feeds/enbr.xml

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